Ever had students count starting from one, just to remember how to say the number that they needed?
Sometimes that can happen if numbers are taught and memorized in order.
What if students instead could immediately recall the meaning…
Happy Chinese students = happy Chinese teacher.
But how do we keep everyone happy?
After all, no two students are the same.
Well, therein lies the answer. Getting to know your students is a huge part of teaching Chinese…
Language teaching can be pretty intense.
Sometimes you just need a break!
When we Chinese teachers are in need of a low-key class period, or need to prepare lessons for a substitute teacher, it can be challenging to come up …
What do movies, jokes, songs and gossip all have in common?
They are all stories!
Stories are a powerful way to communicate ideas so that they stick long-term. We remember far more of what we hear and read …
“Language classes should be fun.”
That was a student’s expectation about my Chinese class.
He thought we needed to be playing a lot of, dare I say, rather pointless games.
But he was only 12. He didn’t have the …
Do you remember the first book ever read aloud to you?
If you’re a native English speaker, maybe something by Dr. Seuss?
Or maybe “Goodnight Moon”? “The Very Hungry Caterpillar”?
Before someone read fun stories to you, did …
Video has become ubiquitous.
Our students giggle over videos on their cell phones between classes.
Social media is now inundated with them, and YouTube has over a billion users.
That’s because videos grab our attention, allowing us to take part …
